Once upon a time there lived a tailor and he had an apprentice. The tailor was making clothes for the Shah and had to finish them by the next day. The tailor and his apprentice were busy sewing all night. A little later, the student could not stand it and fell asleep. Seeing this, the tailor immediately woke him up, saying that if they did not finish the work by tomorrow, the Shah would subject them to terrible punishment.
Waking up, the student told his master that he had seen an amazing dream, and it was a pity that he woke him up. No matter how much the tailor begged the student to tell him what he saw in his dream, the young man replied that until his dream came true, he would not tell it.
By chance that night the Shah was wandering around the city. And so he reached the tailor's shop. Noticing the light in it, he looked through the door crack and saw that the tailor and the apprentice were busy at work. The Shah stood for a while and overheard their entire conversation.
The clothes were sewn overnight. The next morning, the tailor instructed his apprentice to deliver it to the Shah. No matter how much the Shah tried to persuade the student to tell him what he had dreamed, the student replied that until his dream came true, he would not tell it. Finally, the Shah got angry and ordered him to be put in prison. Despite the fact that the Shah called the student to his place every day and ordered him to tell about his dream, the young man, swearing by the Shah’s crown, replied that he would not tell his dream until it came true. And each time the Shah, angry, sent him back to prison.
After some time, the student made a hole in the corner of the dungeon. This dungeon overlooked one wall of the shah's daughter's courtyard. The young man came out through the hole made, entered the room of the Shah's daughter and saw that she was sleeping on the sofa. At her head and at her feet sat maids who were also sleeping. Looking around the room, the student found dishes with delicious pilaf in the room. He sat down, ate his fill of pilaf and returned the same way to the dungeon.
When the Shah's daughter woke up and saw that the pilaf had been eaten, she thought that the maids had eaten it and became angry with them. The maids swore and assured her that they had not touched the pilaf.
The same thing repeated for two or three nights. In the end, the Shah's daughter decided to find out what was going on and waylay the thief.
And so, one night she saw the door open and some young man, secretly sneaking into the room, took a bowl of pilaf, ate everything clean, then washed and dried his hands. When he was about to leave, the princess jumped up and, grabbing his hand, asked who he was and why he had come here.
There was nothing to be done, and the young man told the princess everything that had happened to him. The princess took pity and let him go.
Meanwhile, the Shah of a neighboring country sent his envoy to the city, who, on his orders, drew a circle on the city square and asked the Shah of this city what this circle meant? At the same time, he warned that if he could not answer, he would have to prepare for war with the neighboring Shah. The Shah came to his daughter, told her about this and asked her to advise him on what to do. The daughter replied that the prisoners in the dungeon could help him in this matter, since they were not busy with anything and constantly indulged in reflection.
When the Shah left, his daughter summoned the tailor's apprentice from prison, told him about her conversation with her father and added:
“Tomorrow my father will call you and ask what the drawn circle means?” You agree to answer this question to him on the condition that he marry his daughter to you. Father will agree to this, and then you will tell him that the circle means that the whole world belongs to that Shah. Then you will go and divide the circle into two parts, which will mean that half of the world belongs to this check, and the other half belongs to the neighboring check, since they are both checks. Then the people of the neighboring shah will put onions there, which will mean that a quarrel will occur between the shahs. You will bring and put a sword there, which will mean that our Shah is not afraid of war. In response to this, they will sprinkle a handful of millet there. This means that the neighboring Shah has as many troops as there are millet grains. Then you will bring a rooster there and by this you will let them know that our troops will peck their troops the way a rooster pecks millet grains.
Having said this, the daughter of the Shah released the young man. The next day, the Shah called the young man to his place and again began to demand that he tell him his story, but the young man was stubborn and did not tell. Then the Shah asked what the circle drawn on the square meant? To this, the young man told him that he would answer this question only on the condition that the Shah marries his daughter to him. The Shah promised to fulfill his wish. Then the student explained the meaning of the circle, and then went to the square and divided the circle into two parts. Then the people of the neighboring Shah brought and placed bows and arrows there. In response to this, the young man put a sword there. They poured a handful of millet onto the ground, and the young man brought a rooster there. So the tailor's apprentice beat his opponent with his wits.
Some time passed, and the neighboring Shah sent that Shah three horses so that he could find out which of them was older and which was younger. Again the Shah came to his daughter and asked her what to do. The daughter answered him the same way as the first time. When the Shah left, she called the young man to her, told him about what had happened and told him that for his explanation he would demand the Shah’s daughter as his wife. If the Shah agrees, let the young man put all three horses in the stable and let the mare join them. He will then take the mare by the reins and lead her out of the stable. Then the horses will follow the mare. And the horse that leaves the stable first will be the oldest, the one that comes out after him will be the middle one, and the one that comes out last will be the youngest.
The next day, the Shah summoned the tailor's apprentice and first demanded that he tell him about his dream. But the young man was relentless. Then the Shah demanded that he determine the age of all three horses. When the Shah promised to marry his daughter to him, the young man did as the Shah’s daughter told him and defeated the ambassador of the neighboring Shah.
Some time passed, and the neighboring Shah sent this Shah a straight stick with a request to determine its top and base.
The Shah again went to his daughter and asked what to do?
She answered him again, just like the first time. When the Shah left, the daughter called the young man to her, told him about what had happened and said that this time he should demand that the Shah marry them; when he has married them, let the young man throw the stick into the water. Then the tip of the stick will first appear from the water, and then its base. Having said this, she released the young man.
The next day, the Shah again summoned the young man and demanded that he tell him his dream. And again he answered him, just like the first time. Then the Shah asked him to determine where the end and where the base of the stick was. The student replied that he would fulfill his request, if only the Shah would first marry him to his daughter. There was nothing to be done, and the Shah married them. Then the young man, as the Shah’s daughter told him, threw the stick into the water and recognized the tip and base of the stick. Thus, this time he defeated the ambassador of the neighboring Shah.
Several more months passed, and the Shah received a letter from the neighboring Shah, in which he asked to send his son-in-law to visit him. The young man told the Shah’s daughter about this, and she wrote a letter to the daughter of the neighboring Shah. She wrote to her that the honor of one girl should be protected by all other girls, and asked her not to allow her father to cause any harm to her husband.
The young man took the letter and went to the neighboring Shah. There, the first thing he did was give the letter to the Shah’s daughter. The neighboring Shah decided to kill the young man and, giving him forty days, ordered a robe to be sewn from a rock; If he doesn’t, the Shah will order his head to be cut off.
The young man went to the Shah’s daughter and told her about everything. She told him not to be afraid; when the time comes and the Shah asks why he didn’t sew a robe, he must answer that he wasn’t given any thread. When the Shah gets angry with his servants for why they did not give the young man threads, he must say that it is impossible to sew a dress from a rock with simple threads and that threads made from sand are needed. When the Shah wonders how it is possible to make threads from sand, the young man must answer him: “Is it really possible to sew a robe from a rock?” The Shah will not be able to object to this.
The tailor's apprentice did as the Shah's daughter told him and thus won over the Shah. The Shah liked the young man so much that he married his daughter to him.
The young man took with him the daughter of a neighboring shah and returned to his place.
A year later, both wives gave birth to a boy. One day a young man was sitting holding one son on one knee and the other on the other. One wife sat on his right side, and another on his left. At this time the Shah came to him. The young man wanted to get up, but the Shah put his hand on his head and did not let him get up. Laughing, the young man said:
- Now I can tell you my dream. I dreamed that I was sitting and had a star on my right and left knees. At this time the moon descended from the sky onto my head...
After this, the tailor's apprentice spent his life with his family in joy and peace.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru